listerdiesel

Looks like it might be an early submarine engine, I'll post it on our engine forum with your permission? Peter

Screendump: Peter

Bit more in Episode 2, around 21 minutes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06tlrsj/air-an-smuidsteaming-episode-2 Peter

Haven't seen this mentioned, but it may be elsewhere in the forum. BBC Iplayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06tlwv5/air-an-smuidsteaming-episode-3 At around 24 minutes there is a Scammell 6-wheel 'something' in a shot of the boatyard. Probably used for pulling boats up the slipway? Might be of interest. Peter

A slight detour, but might be of interest: I let my Class 2 licence lapse as I wasn't driving or working on trucks any more. Then I got involved in a Mercedes 614D minibus which we are converting to a motorhome, and that will also be towing our 3.5 tonne drawbar turntable trailer, so suddenly my C1+E licence with grandfather rights is not enough (8.25tonnes GTW, against 9.5 tonnes Mercedes + Trailer) I contacted DVLA about reinstating my licence and they said yes, as long as you undergo the medical. £56 for a medical in Northampton, our Doctors wanted £175.50! It turns out that I have a heart murmur which is noted on the medical. Never had any heart investigations before, so off to Kettering for Echo-Cardiogram and hopefully next week I should have the news, good or bad. If reinstated, my C1+E apparently gets bumped to 12 tonnes GTW as long as I have the CE group valid on the licence. So hoping to get into the Doctors on Monday to see if all is OK and I can send the paperwork off to DVLA. Just goes to show, you think you're OK but a decent medical throws a complete curve ball at you. Peter

https://www.gov.uk/towing-rules https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf30-requirements-for-towing-trailers-in-great-britain As with all documentation, check that you have the latest issue. There are still versions of INF30 from 2011 if you do a Google search. Peter

Bit more information from the Specialloid catalogue: Bore 3-1/2" Compression height 2-7/32" Overall length 4-1/8" Gudgeon pin 7/8" floating Rings 2 plain 1/8", 2 RSS (Radial slotted) 5/32" It is described as a flat top piston. Peter

Scania. you can tell by the rear axle half-shaft caps, but it says so on the YouTube details below as well. Peter

Overrun brakes are indeed allowed up to maximum 3.5 tonnes gross trailer weight, but since December 2012 they are banned for new build drawbar turntable trailers. If you had a living van on that trailer, 'permanently affixed' you could tow it, but otherwise it has to be empty if you want to run under the pre-1960 exemption. That's my understanding of the current law. Peter

In my main interest/hobby. stationary engines, there is much the same discussion, with older guys dropping the size of their display engines as they cannot manage them any more, and while we do have youngsters joining the ranks, they cannot afford or handle the larger engines. We still get out to shows with our engines, and still enjoy them, but it is noticeable how many don't turn up like they used to. I'd love a Scammell Explorer, but nowhere to park it up safely, so have to be content with our show engines for now. The internet has made a huge difference to all mechanically-orientated hobbies, with online information being available at the press of a key, much as has been said previously. The top gas engine and tractor show in the USA has seen falling numbers for the past two years, we went to one earlier this year in Tulare CA and the numbers were much reduced from our previous visits in 2005 and 2008. I don't think that the interest has waned, but folks don't have the cash to take some of the larger and thirstier vehicles out to shows now. Peter

Ford Consul and other, larger vehicles them as well, but they had a vacuum pump on the bottom of the fuel pump to help the manifold vacuum. Also, a reservoir tank helps a lot with these things. Trico-Folberth was the name I rember from the industrial side, the trademark was always 'Trico'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trico Peter

I like 'documentary' types of war films where the plot/narrative is reasonably accurate, and backed up by literature of the period. One such film was 'They Were Expendable', about the PT Boats, based on a book by William L. White. The book is a good read and the film is too. Kelly's Heroes is another 'family favourite', we all like the 'Burning Bridges' theme and bought the CD of the choir (Mike Curb Congregation) I worked in the Film & TV industry for a while, mainly on lighting generators, and I had three trips out for 'Bridge Too Far', another for 'Riddle of the Sands' and we had equipment in 'The Eagle Has Landed', plus many others. The company I worked for supplied Panavision cameras and lighting equipment for these pictures, and one of the directors, Tony Samuelson, had a hand in the 'Battle of Britain', I believe that he actually owned one of the flying Spitfires at the time the film was shot. The politics and wheeler-dealing that goes on behind a major film is astonishing to an outsider, and of course big money is involved for such productions. I rarely see anything I have had an involvement in, having been behind the scenes, it never is the same on-screen! Peter

I used to work as a Tonibell ice-cream salesman :-D in 1968-69 and the vans were mostly Mk2 CALZ Bedfords, which were CA Long Wheelbase chassis-cabs with bodywork by Morrisons at Botley, Southampton if my memory is correct, there was also a Picador Engineering Company involved somewhere. Front axles we could get exchange from the local Vauxhall-Bedford dealer, Portslade Garages across the road, engines we reconditioned ourselves, dynamos were converted to alternators using the AC11 kit which was well before the ACR ranges that followed. Wheel rims had a nasty habit of splitting open due to the relatively high weight of the vehicle, and when Plating & Testing was introduced it was a real panic to get them below 30cwt unladen which was the threshold. 4-speed gearboxes were available on the Mk2 chassis, heaters weren't fitted, rear axles were pretty good, brakes ditto. The gearchange linkage was crude but if oiled regularly it lasted. We did change a few of the pivot brackets on the chassis down on the driver's side though. The gearboxes were pretty bullet-proof considering the stop-start moring these vehicles did. We had one old Mk1 in the depot fleet, driven by an old guy called Alf, that had a really old Taylor ice-cream machine from the USA, driven by an Onan CCK 3-phase genny. The newer ones had Carpigiani machines and Onan AJ single-cylinder engines running off LPG. I had two vans, 207HCR and 548HCR, got out of the game just before I got married. I've probably got some door hinge pivot balls in my toolbox still, and the driver's door opened at the front, no passenger door. Generally, the CA was an honest van built at Luton (possibly Dunstable?) but victim of no underbody protection so they rusted like hell. Peter

Bedford had a gearbox/bell housing setup that was a bit unusual, but on most you could move the engine up and forward if the mounts were taken off. Coaches were a regular for this treatment as inevitably the body builders never left room to get at everything. Many a clutch done by the side of the road! Peter

Cheers, Paul, I'm still ploughing through the paperwork, but it seems that your comments are quite correct. Ours was built in 2011, so we have missed most of the new legislation. Peter